At the Precipice: the Purpose of this Blog

So, I've been somewhat lax in posting with regularity on my estate planning blog. What better cure for that than to start a completely new and different blog, right? Right? RIGHT?!? Hear me out.

In an effort to get myself back in the habit of blogging regularly, I am going to write this blog to document my process of deciding if and how to open a virtual law office here in rural Iowa. The idea being that, if I am obligated to post on my progress, then I will have to make progress prior to posting. Ideally, I'll be able to write a new post every couple of days, sometimes posting daily if I'm really moving through the process.

The structure I hope to follow is based on a few of the checklists in Stephanie Kimbro's book Virtual Law Practice, How to Deliver Legal Services Online. (I'll cite to this book when appropriate with the abbreviation VLP.) I've entered a series of tasks into my GTD task management software which will help keep me focused over the coming weeks. This has created some deadlines by which I need to accomplish certain important steps before I can launch (if I launch at all) my virtual law office on January 1, 2012. What important steps, you say? During the month of September, I need to:

1. Research law practice management and VLO blogs (9/23/11);
   
2. Research Iowa (and Missouri) state bar rules and regulations re: virtual practice and unbundled legal services online (9/30/11);
3. Create a secure back-up system for client data (9/30/11); and
   
4. Prepare a business plan for my future virtual practice (9/30/11).

No sweat. After all, there's a whole two weeks left in the month of September. What could possibly go wrong?

Other tasks that need to be completed between now and December 31 include researching SaaS providers, investigating malpractice insurance for a VLO, researching web developers, creating a VLO website, and drafting terms, conditions, and clickwrap agreements for the VLO.

So, here I stand, with my toes poking out over the precipice that is the cutting edge of the practice of law. I'm excited about the new frontier I'm about to cross into, but I'm nervous too. On the one hand, there's a good deal of appeal in the ability for people in a rural community to get quality legal assistance without having to drive 30+ minutes to the nearest law firm. On the other hand, technology can be intimidating to a lot of people. I'm hopeful about the potential of the VLO in a rural area, but I'm concerned that people will be resistant to doing that type of business online. But that's a post for a different day.

My hope for this blog is that it be useful to any lawyers out there who are interested in taking the plunge and starting their own VLO. I want to provide information for you that might not be readily available elsewhere through summaries of my conversations, lists of useful links, and reviews of my internet/book research. Feel free to leave your two cents in the comments section of any post. Most importantly, if you find information that I miss, please mention it. I'll give you due credit, I promise.

On that note, I leave you to continue researching VLO blogs.